A Newfoundlander in Canada: Always Going Somewhere, Always Coming Home

Alan Doyle

Oct 2017 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Alan Doyle

About this audiobook

Following the fantastic success of his bestselling memoir, Where I Belong, Great Big Sea front man Alan Doyle returns with a hilarious, heartwarming account of leaving Newfoundland and discovering Canada for the first time.

Armed with the same personable, candid style found in his first book, Alan Doyle turns his perspective outward from Petty Harbour toward mainland Canada, reflecting on what it was like to venture away from the comforts of home and the familiarity of the island.
     Often in a van, sometimes in a bus, occasionally in a car with broken wipers "using Bob's belt and a rope found by Paddy's Pond" to pull them back and forth, Alan and his bandmates charted new territory, and he constantly measured what he saw of the vast country against what his forefathers once called the Daemon Canada. In a period punctuated by triumphant leaps forward for the band, deflating steps backward and everything in between—opening for Barney the Dinosaur at an outdoor music festival, being propositioned at a gas station mail-order bride service in Alberta, drinking moonshine with an elderly church-goer on a Sunday morning in PEI—Alan's few established notions about Canada were often debunked and his own identity as a Newfoundlander was constantly challenged. Touring the country, he also discovered how others view Newfoundlanders and how skewed these images can sometimes be. Asked to play in front of the Queen at a massive Canada Day festival on Parliament Hill, the concert organizers assured Alan and his bandmates that the best way to showcase Newfoundland culture was for them to be towed onto stage in a dory and introduced not as Newfoundlanders but as "Newfies." The boys were not amused.
     Heartfelt, funny and always insightful, these stories tap into the complexities of community and Canadianness, forming the portrait of a young man from a tiny fishing village trying to define and hold on to his sense of home while navigating a vast and diverse and wonder-filled country.

Ratings and reviews

Absolutely loved this audio book from one of my favourite musicians! Commuting to work was never so enjoyable until now. I love all of Alan's books and can listen to them over again like he's sitting right here. (-:

Fascinating collection of stories and experiences, told by the author in the most humourous fashion. The accent and the characters, the comic timing, and Doyle's ability to get the most drama and humour out of a tale make both of his audiobooks great to hear. In this novel, Alan Doyle from Petty Harbour shares his perspectives on Canada as a touring musician. His observations on the cities and provinces and the epic drive across northern Ontario are spot on. If you are Canadian or love Canada, listening to this book will be time well spent.

About the author

ALAN DOYLE is a Canadian musician and actor, best known as a lead singer in the Canadian folk-rock band Great Big Sea. Doyle's first book, Where I Belong, published in 2014, was a national bestseller, and in 2015, Doyle released his second solo album, So Let's Go. Doyle lives in St. John's, Newfoundland.